Note: This light and colorful salad is a meal in itself, and would be terrific with a salad of sliced cucumbers and herbs, or some flatbread and baba ghanoush. For a special finish, sprinkle with chopped pistachios or pomegranate seeds. From Robin Asbell.

• 3 ears sweet corn, shucked

• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

• 1 c. basmati rice

• 1 pinch saffron

• 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 3/4 tsp. salt, divided

• 1 (15-oz.) can chickpeas (also called garbanzos), drained

• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped

• 1 large tomato, chopped

• 1/2 c. fresh spearmint, chopped, plus more for garnish

• 1/2 c. fresh dill, chopped, plus more for garnish

• 1/2 c. whole milk Greek yogurt

• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper

Directions

Cut the corn kernels from the cobs and reserve.

In a 2-quart pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the corn. Sauté, stirring, for about 2 minutes, until the corn is browned in spots and starting to stick to the pot. Scrape the corn into a large bowl.

Add the rice to the pot and stir, and crumble in the saffron, and stir for a few seconds. Add the cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 1/2 cup water, and bring to a boil. Cover and lower the heat to low, cook for 15 minutes. Take off the heat to cool.

When the rice is cool, add it to the bowl with the corn, and add the chickpeas, peppers, tomatoes, mint and dill.

In a small bowl, stir the yogurt, lemon, pepper, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pour over the rice and fold in.

Serve immediately, garnished with fresh mint and dill, or store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Place the onions and garlic in an even layer in the slow cooker and pour in the stock or broth. Combine the sugar, chili powder, measured salt, cumin, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork and place the meat on top of the onions and garlic. Cover and cook until the pork is fork tender, about 6 to 8 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low.

Turn off the slow cooker and remove the pork to a cutting board. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a medium heatproof bowl. Pour the onion mixture from the slow cooker through the strainer and return the solids to the slow cooker. Set the strained liquid aside.

If the pork has a bone, remove and discard it. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding any large pieces of fat. Return the shredded meat to the slow cooker, add the barbecue sauce, if using, and mix to combine. If you’re not using barbecue sauce, use a spoon to skim and discard the fat from the surface of the strained cooking liquid, and then add 1/4 cup of the liquid at a time to the slow cooker until the pork is just moistened. Taste and season with salt as needed.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Make indentation in center of each cookie with thumb (edges may crack slightly). Fill each indentation with about 1/4 teaspoon jam.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom and sides of a 4 1/2 quart glass baking pan. Cut the biscuits into eighths with a pizza cutter. Cook the sausage and stir to crumble while cooking. Add biscuits and sausage to the pan and sprinkle with half of the cheese. Mix milk, eggs and spices thoroughly and pour over the contents of the pan. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cook for 30-40 minutes or until set.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg whites and lemon juice. Add the Brussels sprouts, onion and garlic, and stir to combine. Stir in the flour, 3/4 teaspoon salt, a lot of turns of black pepper, and a few pinches of red pepper flakes.

In a large skillet, heat a thin layer of oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop about one-eighth of the Brussels sprout mixture into the pan, and use a spatula to pat it out into a pancake. Cook on both sides until browned, 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Place on a plate lined with paper towels, sprinkle with salt and a squeeze of lemon, and serve with Balsamic Dijon Yogurt.

Balsamic Dijon Yogurt

Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

• 1 c. plain full-fat Greek yogurt

• 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

• 2 tbsp. honey

• 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Directions

In a medium bowl, mix together the yogurt, mustard, honey, vinegar and salt.

Whisk together the spices, sprinkle over the turkey and blend it in evenly using clean hands/wooden spoon, being careful not to over-mix. Form the mixture into 8 patties that are about 3-4″ across.

Heat half the oil in a medium non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add half the patties, cooking until nicely browned on the outside and cooked through (about 3 minutes/side). Transfer to a plate; repeat with the remaining patties.

Beat the peanut butter, butter, and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time on medium speed, and then beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the flour mixture on low speed. Fold in the mashed bananas.

Step 4.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes; then remove it to a rack to cool completely.

After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day.

To serve, ladle into bowls, and top with corn chips and shredded Cheddar cheese.

This makes a LOT of chili. You could halve it and still have plenty. This yields a pleasantly spicy chili, but could be made hotter as desired. You can modulate that by the amount of seeds retained from the jalapeno and the amount of cayenne and/or hot pepper sauce used.

Make the butter: In a medium saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat, then add the shallots. Season with salt, to taste, and cook until they are translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the shallots to a medium bowl. Add the green peppercorns, mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk to blend so all of the flavors start to meld together. Use a fork to blend in the other 8 tablespoons of butter. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and stir in the parsley.

Roll the butter into a cylinder (like cookie dough) in plastic wrap or parchment pepper and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cook the steak: Heat a cast iron skillet large enough to hold the steak until it begins to visibly smoke. Use a kitchen towel to “blot” any excess moisture from both sides of the steak and season with salt and pepper. Shut the heat off underneath the skillet and use a pair of tongs to put the steak squarely in the pan. Raise the heat high and brown on the first side, 3 to 5 minutes. Resist the temptation to move it as it cooks. Lower the heat and cook for an additional 8 to 10 minutes. Turn it on its second side and brown for 3 to 5 minutes. Lower the heat and cook for an additional 8 to 10 minutes. Turn the steak on the edge with the fat “cap” and brown that for 3 to 5 minutes. Lower the heat and allow the steak to cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Slice the maitre d’ butter into1/2-inch rounds and set aside.

Testing for doneness: The simplest way to check for doneness is to make a small incision by the center bone in the thickest part of the steak. It should be a little less cooked than you would like to allow for “carry over” cooking and the “finishing” touch of running the steak under the broiler. For rare, a 2 1/2-inch porterhouse steak should take around 30 to 35 minutes to cook. Add about 4 minutes for medium-rare and 4 additional for medium. If using an instant-read thermometer, rare registers between 125 and 130 degrees F. For medium-rare, 130 to 135 degrees F and between 135 and 140 degrees F for medium.

Remove the steak from the pan to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. Cut into slices and transfer the whole thing to a heatproof platter with the meat still arranged around each side of the center bone. Top the steak with a single layer of the butter slices, put it under the broiler until the butter softens, about 30 to 45 seconds. Serve immediately.